Watchdog wants all medics to be registered

THE State's health watchdog wants all medical practitioners -- from surgeons to care workers -- to be registered under a universal system in which their professional details could be tracked through their life, writes Shane Hickey.

THE State's health watchdog wants all medical practitioners -- from surgeons to care workers -- to be registered under a universal system in which their professional details could be tracked through their life, writes Shane Hickey.

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Watchdog wants all medics to be registered

Independent.ie

THE State's health watchdog wants all medical practitioners -- from surgeons to care workers -- to be registered under a universal system in which their professional details could be tracked through their life, writes Shane Hickey.

New proposals from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) say all health workers should get unique numbers to trace whether there is any history of misconduct and other details in their past.

The body said this electronic paper trail would have prevented instances of misconduct which have been seen in some residential homes over recent years.

The proposals have now been forwarded to Minister for Health James Reilly.

"Under the proposed system, every health and social care practitioner in Ireland will be assigned a unique number, known as the Health Practitioner Identifier (HPI)," Prof Jane Grimson, director of health information with HIQA, said.